The Fate of the Purebloods
by andromeda.rose
Summary: Now an orphan, a young Rido Kuran investigates the suspicious deaths of his parents, and discovers a sinister plot underneath. Better than it sounds. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**The Fate of the Purebloods**

_AN: This story is obviously set in Rido's childhood. I am making all of it up. None of this is concrete in the actual manga. Which I am not that far into yet! I hope you enjoy it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. And it is unlikely I ever will :(_

It is a starless night. A crescent moon hangs in the black sky. Dead leaves rustle in the sighing wind. Under the cover of darkness, a cloaked figure strides along the quiet road. Underneath the grey cloak is a beautiful woman. At her side is a young boy. Maybe ten years old. He is carrying her bag for her.

"... but Okaa-sama!" the boy pants, hurrying to keep up with her long stride. "How long will you be away for?"

The woman does not reply. She does not know the answer. She does not know if she will see her son again. This makes her stop. The boy stops as well, looking at her in confusion. She composes herself, and removes the hood, letting dark curls spill forward. She kneels down on the road and takes the boy's face in her pale hands. She smiles and gazes deep into the boy's eyes. In those treasured seconds, she imprints that face her memory. The messy, dark hair, large eyes in a pale face. Such unusual eyes. One is red. One is blue. "It doesn't matter. I love you. You are such a responsible boy. I want so much to watch you grow up. I want to be there at the most important moments of your life.... my precious boy...." she catches her breath. But goes on. She hasn't got much time left. She wants it to count.

"You'll look after them, your siblings, won't you?"

The boy nods furiously. "Of course, Okaa-sama, but I don't understand-"

"Shh.." she places a long finger over his lips, silencing him. Then she kisses him on the forehead and strokes his unruly hair one last time. At that moment a black carriage arrives. It is modest and small, as she does not want to draw attention to herself. A man jumps down from the driver's seat.

"My Lady, we haven't got time. We must go!" She nods and takes her bag from her son.

The boy feels sick. He knows something is wrong. "Okaa-sama! Where are you going?"

She smiles at him and gets in the carriage, assisted by the driver. "Okaa-sama..." the boy whispers. He is frightened. There is something in the air. He can taste it. Fear. His fear. And his mother's fear. Before she closes the door, the beautiful woman leans out. "Be good", she says, trying to sound stern. But she smiles again. "I know you'll be good."

The boy nods. He doesn't know what is going on, but he wants his mother to know she can rely on him. He will never let her down. "I promise, Okaa-sama", he tries to smile. He can't. His eyes smart. "I promise I will be good. And look after Haruka and Juuri. Always, Okaa-sama."

The woman bites her lip. She cannot speak. All of a sudden, she isn't sure any more. She wants to go home with her son. And tell him it is all a silly game. Her son is clever. He knows things are not as they seem. The last person she has left. And now she will lose him. But this isn't for her to choose. This is for him. What she will do, it is for her children. So they will be safe.

So she nods. "I know, Rido."

Then the carriage lurches into motion as the horse sets off at a brisk trot. The boy follows. Tears are running freely down his cheeks. He runs after the carriage because he knows now that something terrible is looming. That Okaa-sama isn't safe. He will look after Haruka and Juuri. But he wants to look after his mother too. He has always tried to look after her. Father won't. He won't trust her.

_But I will,_ the boy thinks. The carriage is getting further away. He cannot catch it. His vision blurs with tears. "O-Okaa- sama", he sobs quietly. For now he knows, he is truly alone.

The woman can see her son running.

_Okaa-sama..._

She can see his mouth form the words. She watches until the carriage turns a corner and he is lost from sight. Her cheeks are wet. Her body shakes with silent sobs. She puts her head in her hands and cries.

"_I hate him, I hate him...."_ she whispers over and over again. She would kill that man. He would die by her own hand. If it was the last thing she did. She would kill him. Ichijou Asato. She would kill him. For her son. For Rido.... Juuri, Haruka...

She reaches for her bag. Inside there are letters. They are from Shiki Maguri. Her accomplice. Maguri is her spy. The latest one is several weeks old. That worries her. "Oh, Maguri san... please be safe..." she whispers.

Suddenly she is alert. The carriage has stopped. Her heart is thumping, for she knows they could not possibly have reached their destination. Her hand creeps to her bag and her fingers close around her whip. She calms herself, for she knows her son is far away enough to be safe. The carriage shudders. And the door is ripped off it's hinges. A shadowy figure appears.

"Kuran Rukia sama", it rasps. But she is quick. She thrusts her hand out. Blood splatters over her clothes as her fist emerges from his back. He turns to ash and she leaps out of the carriage, whip in hand. From the corner of her eye, she can see ash on the driver's seat. In front of her are seven cloaked figures. "Hello, Rukia sama", one of them purrs, stepping forward. She recognises him. She knows him from a soiree. He is holding a sword. "Ichijou sends his regards."

She snarls at him. Ichijou Asato... that man....

"Oh, I thought you would like to know", the man runs his finger along the blade. "Maguri san has left us. Unfortunately, he yielded little information, no matter how persuasive we tried to be. It was a pleasure to finally slay that disgusting...._ traitor._ Just like it will be a pleasure to kill you. This little rebellion is pathetic", he sneers.

"Luckily, a search of his house was more helpful. We found these."

He holds up a fistful of letters. They are her letters to Maguri.

_They know everything..._

She does not want to hear anymore. "Be silent, impudent filth. You should know better than to address your Pureblood superiors that way", she hisses. "Or perhaps you don't. I..."

she cracks her whip, and black flame runs menacingly down the three tongues. ".... will teach you what happens when you cross a Pureblood".

The six figures behind him leap at her. But she is ready. With a deft flick of her wrist, the whip snaps up, black flames hissing, and cuts halfway through one's neck. He cries out and falls to the ground.

She grasps a dagger from inside her cloak and swings it sideways, plunging it into the closest vampire. At the same time, her foot flies up in one smooth, balletic motion. The other vampire's neck snaps backwards. He turns to ash before he hits the ground.

More replace the fallen. Fear grips her. There are so many... but she fights. She fights for Maguri, who was loyal to the end. She fights for the freedom of her fellow Purebloods. But most of all, she fights for her children. She fights so they will grow up in safety. Above all, she fights for them.

So she feels horror, not for herself, but for them, her precious children, when the dagger pierces her heart.

She turns to look at her murderer. "You are disgusting", she snarls. But he smiles, catching her as she falls. He is just as charming as he was at the soiree, she thinks.

"Have you got anything you would like to tell us, Rukia sama?"

She will be like Maguri. She will protect the cause. So she says nothing. She spits in his face, then feels a blinding pain surge through her body. There is a bright light. She cannot see him anymore, she cannot smell the blood. She sees someone else.

The messy, dark hair, large eyes in a pale face. Such unusual eyes. One is red. One is blue.

_"I will be good. And look after Haruka and Juuri. Always, Okaa-sama."_

_"I know, Rido."_

Then she sees nothing.

The woman in his arms explodes into dust and pearly fragments. He seethes and crushes the opaque pieces with the heel of his boot. No matter, he tells himself. He can find that information else where.

At least she is dead.

He looks around. All of his comrades are dead. He smirks and begins to walk back the way the carriage came. To the Kuran mansion...

The little boy wakes up. He is bathed in sweat and his sheets are tangled around him. "Okaa-sama?" He cries. Now he knows, something is very wrong indeed.

_Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If this gets a good turn out I'll continue it. If I did it would probably take a while, as I am really busy at the moment... if you think it's confusing or annoying I'm really sorry, but please bear with me! This story is supposed to be enigmatic...._

_If you were wondering, this Maguri guy is supposed to be Senri Shiki's grandfather. At least, that's what I was thinking when I wrote this. I came across it a few hours ago. I hope it's a boy's name! o_O_

_Please review. Thanks for reading :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Fate of the Purebloods**

_AN: To Zephyr's Voice: Thanks for the tip on the honorifics! I wasn't sure whether or not to put a "-" between it, so I decided to be lazy and leave it out :P and sorry about the commas! My punctuation is pretty rubbish! Thanks for your review!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. And it is unlikely I ever will :(_

The wind is loud. It roars in the little boy's ears. He cannot wait for this to be over. He feels suffocated in the black. Black sky, black clothes, black mood....

"My consolations."

"....a terrible tragedy..."

"....poor children...."

He ignores the whispers and the murmurs. He places a hand on his sister's head. Her tears have long since dried up. "I'm sleepy", Haruka mumbles. The little boy glances at his siblings.

_"You'll look after them..."_

He nods. "Let's go home." Three children walk in the gathering darkness. They are going to a house. Not home. They have no home. Home died with mother.

-oOo-

Kyosuke grips the handrail of the balcony. A starless night. His grip tightens. The rail snaps. He goes inside. How foolish.... they were foolish. She never did agree with him. They had never seen eye to eye. Nonetheless, she had been his wife. And they had killed her. He runs a hand through his light blond hair.

"Otou-sama?"

He turns in surprise. A small girl, barely four years of age with a mop of dark curls stands in the doorway. Her eyes are red and puffy. She wordlessly holds out a storybook.

He cannot meet his daughter's gaze. "I miss Okaa-sama", Juuri chokes. Her eyes well up with fresh tears and she barrels into his chest. She is sobbing. He wraps his arms around her and sits her on his lap.

He should reassure her. But his throat is dry. What words of comfort can he offer her? He is responsible...

He hates himself. His throat constricts, but tears still do not come. Why? Why can he not even shed a single tear for his wife?

_"The wife you killed."_

He ignores the whispers in his head and lifts his daughter up. As he walks toward her room, the whispers continue to spread. They poison every corner of his mind until they are not whispers, they are screams. They shriek in his ear again and again.

_"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU MAY AS WELL HAVE KILLED HER YOURSELF!"_

"Goodnight, Juuri." He kisses the top of her forehead as he tucks the covers around her. "Sweet dreams."

Juuri stares at him, her large brown eyes moist. Rukia's eyes....

He feels sick. Outside in the hall his legs surrender. He falls to the ground, shaking all over. _"What have you done to them?"_

"Shut up.... shut up, shut up, shut UP!"

His breath comes in short, painful gasps.

"What have I done?"

-oOo-

"His lordship is unwell I'm afraid, master Rido", the maid says apologetically. The little boy nods. "Thank you."

"Is Otou-sama with Okaa-sama now?"

"Juuri!" Haruka scolds. "Don't be morbid! Otou-sama is upset."

Rido watches as the pair bicker. Little children, he thinks. But he glances at the bedroom door again. He cannot hear movement. "What is it, Otou-sama?" he whispers to himself.

"INTRUDER!"

The three children are startled. "Take three guards downstairs! Try to cut him off at the gate!"

"Guard! What is it?"

"A cloaked man, Master Rido, fled from the late Mistress's private study!"

"Is anything stolen?"

"He was holding documents of some kind, Master Rido!"

-oOo-

How beautiful.... silver and sleek...

_Her dark hair is dances in the wind. Her white dress is billowing. She is laughing. Rukia...._

_How.... beautiful...._

There are three sharp raps on the door. "My Lord?"

Kyosuke Kuran doesn't reply. He is lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "My Lord, an intruder broke into her Ladyship's study!"

He closes his eyes.

_"I would like my study to have lots of shelves, Kyosuke. For my books?"_

_"Of course, dearest. You're books are much too precious to reside in the library with the likes of MY books!"_

_She laughs and hits his shoulder. "Don't be sarcastic!"_

"My Lord?"

"Go away..."

_She twirls the rose gently in her slim fingers and smiles at him. "You're sweet. I like you."_

_"I'm sorry!"_

_"Why did you do that to me? To us?"_

_"I'm sorry!"_

_Her face crumples. Tears slide down her pale cheeks. "How could you?"_

_"I didn't want that! I love you! I-"_

_She screams and falls on her knees. _

_He cannot move towards her. "Rukia...?"_

_Her tears turn to blood, it streams from her eyes, her mouth, her nose.... The white skin is dyed red. The white dress is stained crimson. The white rose dies. _

_"How... could..." _

_Her hands clutch her chest, over her heart. He stares at his hand. He is holding a bloodied dagger. "No...!"_

_"Kyo...suke?"_

_"Rukia!"_

"NO!"

He opens his eyes. How beautiful indeed. He twirls it in his fingers, admiring how elaborate and finely crafted it is. He clutches it walks outside.

_"I love roses. They are so delicate and beautiful. Kyosuke? Let's have a rose garden in our house!"_

He sits among them. The roses. Red roses, pink roses, yellow roses, white roses....

He allows a smile creep across his face. It widens until he is laughing. "I gave you a rose garden! Just like you said! I'm glad you liked it!"

_"They are not as beautiful as you... nothing is."_

_She smiles. "I love you."_

"I love you too!" He yells.

_She jumps to her feet. "Come on! Come with me!"_

_"Wait..."_

_She runs away. _

_"Rukia? Where are you going? Wait!"_

_She pauses. There is a beautiful wrought iron gate set in the stone wall of the house. Roses are twined around it. He doesn't remember a door like that being there..._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"My garden. Are you coming?"_

_"That's the house, Rukia. There is no garden there."_

_She shakes her head and smiles sadly. Then she opens the gate and walks through. "Wait! I'll come! Don't go, please...."_

He holds it against his heart.

_He walks toward the gate. "I'm coming too! Wait for me...."_

Tears prick his eyes.

_He rests his hand on the elegant gate. Rukia is standing on the other side. She smiles sadly._

He plunges the knife deep into his heart and twists it.

_"I want to be with you."_

This pain.... this horrible pain.... screaming....

_He opens the gate. "I'll come with you. Always..."_

His eyes are slowly closing. The sun is smiling on him from it's perch in the azure blue sky. "Why are you happy I'm going?"

The world.... is red.

"Rukia...?"

But she is gone. There is no gate, no garden.... there is... nothing....

_Thanks for reading! Sorry if it dragged a bit. Please R&R and no flames!_


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